


Lens Flare

by SincerelyChaos



Series: Saudade, dear [5]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Extended Metaphors, First Kiss, M/M, Photography, Poetry, Wits On Tap Challenge, poetry remix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 09:40:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10784259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincerelyChaos/pseuds/SincerelyChaos
Summary: [the movement relative to light sources, fading as you move away from the bright light until it causes no flare at all]A poetry remix of Callie4180's First Light.





	Lens Flare

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Callie4180](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callie4180/gifts).
  * Inspired by [First Light](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3238679) by [Callie4180](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Callie4180/pseuds/Callie4180). 



> For the Wits on Tap 2017.
> 
> Callie, I'm sorry it took so long (and that it makes 'extended metaphors' seem like the understatement of the year), but the vivid imagery of your already poetic and metaphorical story kind of... evoked certain images that I couldn't let go of. Thank you for letting me change the angle and the camera settings of your story, creating another picture with the same scene.

**[a phenomenon wherein light is scattered or flared, often in response to a bright light]**

striking blindly, falling short  
     in the first glimpse of light in I’ve had in days, and  
as I stumble out, towards the sun  
     a silhouette collapses at my feet  
          my shadow left trapped underneath  
     and for a minute, down on my knees  
               it is your eyes that stare back unseeingly into mine.

 

 **[** **lenses often do not perform optimally when fully opened – this is sharpness in the plane of critical focus,** **setting aside issues of depth of field]**

distortions fading, life resumed  
     still light has become something of an anomaly  
          making it scatter all over the lens of my mind's eye.

like with shallow focus - a wide open lens  
     the contrast is reduced until no outlines remain,  
          until I can’t make out your features anymore  
               and I can’t stand to lose you like that again.

 

**[each point of light becomes an image of the aperture]**

redirecting focus, reflecting light  
     I’ll make excuses during day  
          only to give you everything you think you might want as night falls.

and if your mind is set on her  
     I’ll shade my eyes, step up to the task  
          the light always a reflection of the things I’ve lost  
     like a refraction  
          in the transition between  
               the consequences of what I did (to save you)  
               and the outcome I might once have been foolish enough to hope for.

 

**[** **the movement relative to light sources, fading as you move away from the bright light until it causes no flare at all]**

denied a shadow, given truths  
     your footsteps on the tarmac echoing from yet another loss  
          and I stand silent next to you  
     the scene in front of me overexposed  
          and if I gave everything up so that you wouldn’t have to  
               some things remains inevitable, just like the light of day.

then a flicker, a spark of light  
     your eyes meet mine just before dawn  
          and for once, the light isn’t overshadowed by loss  
               it merely illuminates the inadequacy of our spoken words.  
     then a movement, a hint of tongue  
          my senses all ignite  
               as you conduct all the light until it no longer blinds.  
     and when the sun begins to rise, we’ll stay out  
          until my eyes have readjusted to seeing you  
               without a shadow of a doubt.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The bolded citations are (abbriviated) quotes from articles on three different photograpic phenomenon/terms; bokeh, lens flare and depth of field, that for some reason wouldn't leave my mind as I began picturing Callie's beautiful story about Sherlock's relationship with daylight after the Fall and onwards.
> 
> "In photography, **bokeh** is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens."
> 
> "In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, **depth of field** , also called focus range or effective focus range, is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image."
> 
> " **Lens flare** refers to a phenomenon wherein light is scattered or flared in a lens system, often in response to a bright light, producing an undesirable effect on the image."


End file.
